Pen and pencil clip



Jan. 23, 1940. v c. E. MARSHALL 1 PEN AND PENCIL CLIP Filed Nov. 21, 1938 INVENTOR Q/A/wA/tTMms/Mu ATTORN Y Patented Jan. 23, 1940 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2 Claims.

This invention relates to spring clips such as commonly employed in supporting pens, pencils, and the like, with a pocket or other support to retain the same against displacement therefrom;

and the object of the invention is to provide a clip having a mounting plate arranged substantially at right angles to one end portion of an elongated spring clip body and in shaping said plate, or at least the free end portion thereof, so as to pierce a plastic body and in providing in or on the mounting plate a yieldable prong or catch for engaging the support to resist outward movement or detachment with respect to the support when the plate is attached thereto; a further object being to provide a shoulder portion intermediate the mounting plate and spring arm of the clip for limiting inward movement of the spring arm of the clip with respect to the support; and with these and other objects in view, the invention consists in a device of the class and for the purpose specified which is simple in construction, efficient in use, and which is constructed as hereinafter described and claimed.

The invention is fully disclosed in the following specification, of which the accompanying drawing forms a part, in which the separate parts of my improvement are designated by suitable reference characters in each of the views, and in which:

Fig. 1 is a side and sectional view of the cap of a fountain pen illustrating one of the clips coupled therewith; and,

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the clip detached.

To illustrate one adaptation of the invention, I have indicated at 5 in Fig. 1 of the drawing, a part of a fountain pen, and at 6 the usual tubular cap having as seen at I a solid bodied end or tip which may constitute an integral part of the cap 6 or be in the form of a separate tip piece cemented or otherwise secured in position, for example on the line 8 of Fig. 1. The solid body portion 1 which forms the closed end of the cap 6 is formed of plastic material and may, for example, be composed of such material as cellulose acetate and similar plastics, and in this connection may be of a colorcontrasting to that of the remainder of the cap especially when the body I is independently formed and secured thereto as at 8.

In the drawing 9 represents a spring clip comprising a spring arm [0 of any desired shape or form and provided at its free end with an enlarged head, ball or knob H, such as commonly employed in clips of the type under consideration. The other end of the arm is curved as seen at l2 and offset downwardly and inwardly as at 13 and terminates in a reduced mounting or supporting plate 14 which is arranged angularly to the arm ill; or in other words, substantially at right angles thereto. It will be understood that the angularity will be such as to maintain constant tensional engagement of the knob l I on the outer surface of the tubular cap 6 when the clip is attached as is illustrated in Fig. 1 of the drawing. The downwardly and inwardly extending portion I3 terminates at the side edges of the plate 14 in stop shoulders l5 which limit inward movement of the plate l4 into the body 1 as later described.

The free end of the plate I4 is preferably pointed as seen at I6 so as to pierce the body 1 and permit the forcible mounting of the plate M in the body by pressure. In other words, an aperture or recess is not formed in the body 1 for the reception of the plate l4, but to the contrary the plate I4 is simply forced into the body 1 to form its own socket or recess therein. In some materials, this may be accomplished when the body is in a cool state. On the other hand, the body I may be subjected to sufiicient heat to simply soften the material to a degree facilitating the above operation and without distorting the contour of the body 1, suitable tools being employed for accomplishing this result.

The plate [4 is also provided with means for retaining or anchoring the plate against displacement. One method of accomplishing this result consists in providing an outwardly extending resilient prong H, the pointed end of which extends in the direction of the curved end [2 of the spring arm, and the prong also normally projecting outwardly from one side surface of the plate M, the upper surface in the construction as shown. The side edges [8 of the plate M are also preferably tapered from the pointed end I6 to the shoulders I 5 so as to facilitate the feed of the plate into the supporting body. It will be understood that in the movement of the plate 14 into the body I, the spring prong I! will be depressed but will force itself outwardly when the plate I4 has reached the limit of its inward movement to imbed itself in the body I as is indicated at I9 in Fig. 1 of the drawing to key the plate l4 against outward movement.

With a clip of the type and kind herein disclosed, and especially bearing in mind the curved end l2-l3 which couples the spring arm II! with the mounting plate I4, there is no excessive force tending to disengage or pull the plate 14 outwardly. The spring movement of the ball end I I toward and from the cap 3 in coupling and uncoupling the pen with a suitable support transmits an inward pressure to the upper mounted end of the arm through the curved walls I2-|3, thus providing a strong and very simple and economical form of clip construction.

It will, of course, be understood that my improved clip is adapted for use in connection with supports of various kinds and descriptions employing plastic or composition bodies capable of being pierced by the mounting plate portion I4 of the clip, and said plate portion is provided with means retaining the same against outward movement or accidental displacementfrom the support.

There have been many types and kinds of spring clips having difierent mountings in connection with fountain pen caps and the like, but in all instances the support has been pre-apertured for the reception of a mounting end por- :.tion-on the clip 'or shaped to be clamped between two supports, screwed in position, or'other types and kinds of attaching devices or -means have been employed for securing the attaching member or plate of the clip against displacement.

With my improved construction all such attachsing devices or means are dispensed with and the cost of pre-forming apertures and in constructing attaching devices is dispensed with, as the clip is provided with an integral part, or at least a part integrally united therewith, which is coupled with the support by forcing or pressure driving the same into the material of the support, substantially in the sense of driving a tack or nail into a supporting surface.

The present construction deals with a clip wherein the mounting or attaching plate of the clip forms a continuation of the upper end of the clip or is integrally united with said end which provides an economical form of clip construction and which further provides through the bowed spring end of the clip adjacent the attaching plate, a construction which will not subject the attaching or mounting plate to outwardly pulling stress or strain. The present construction forms a continuation in part of the structure disclosed in a prior application filed by me May 14, 1938, bearing Serial No. 207,975, in which application attaching plates are provided at opposite side 50 walls'of .a spring arm at the mounting end portion thereof which are constructed primarily to pierce the tubular wall structure of a cap or other support. In this connection, it will of course be apparent that my present clip may be mounted in connection with a tubular wall as is taught in the earlier application and the resilient prong may be so constructed and arranged as to engage the inner wall of the tube to prevent displacement. This arrangement and use will be apparent to those skilled in the art.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

l. A spring clip of the character described adapted to be used in connection with the solid ,4

body portion of a support, said clip comprising an elongated strip of metal having an upper mounting end portion and a lower free end portion, said mounting end portion comprising a reverse curve in said strip at the upper extremity of said clip forming the resilient spring portion thereof, and an integral mounting plate extending substantially at right angles to the free end portion of said clip and arranged below 'said upper extremity of the clip, said plate being pointed to provide forcible pierce mounting of said plate into a support, means on' said plate engaging the support-to retain the same against accidental displacement therefrom, said plate joining the curved end of the spring arm in stop shoulders limiting inward movement of the plate in said support, said last named means comprising a resilient prong pointed in the direction of said stop shoulders.

12. A spring clip of the character described comprising an elongated strip of metal having an upper mounting end portion and a lower free end portion, said mounting end portion comprising a reverse curve in said strip at the upper extremity of said clip forming the resilient spring portion thereof, an integral mounting plate extending substantially at right angles to the free end portion of said clip and arranged below said upper extremity of the clip, said plate being pointed at its free end to provide forcible pierce mounting of said plate into a support, and means on said plate engaging the support to retain the same against accidental displacement therefrom.

CLINTON E. MARSHALL. 50 

